Salisbury Museum is based in Salisbury Cathedral Close opposite the west front of Salisbury Cathedral.

Why are some of the galleries so dark?

Light can damage objects made from organic materials such as wood, cloth, paper or leather. Therefore light levels are kept low in some galleries to help preserve the objects on display. This is particularly the case in our costume gallery.

Why don’t you display everything in the museum?

In the spaces we have available it would be impossible to display everything. Instead we display a selection of those objects that help us to tell the story of Salisbury’s past.

Why do you display human remains?

Skeletons, like other remains from the past provide us with direct evidence of how people lived. Through studying the human remains archaeologists can begin to understand past lifestyles, diets, physical appearance, place of origin, illness/disease and cause of death. The items buried with the dead help us to understand past attitudes to death, religion and individual identity. We display human remains and grave goods to help convey this information to the visitor.

Why do you have to pay to get in?

The Museum is an independent charitable trust – the money that you pay to get in helps to cover the running costs of the Museum.

What's On

Museum Masterplan

In 2009 architects and designers Metaphor produced a masterplan for the museum. After the completion of the first stage of this plan – the Wessex Gallery – the masterplan was revised and we now aim to redevelop the remainder of the building with a major HLF grant.